Pretoria – Police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), is investigating the alleged murder of a detainee while he was in police cells at Rosedale police station in Upington.
Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said the watchdog was informed that the detainee was allegedly assaulted by a police constable in the passage way of the cells at Rosedale police station.
“The inmate succumbed to death as a result of an assault. The deceased in this matter is 20 years of age. He had been arrested on allegations of being found in possession of suspected stolen properties, as per Rosedale Case 225/10/2021,” said Langa.
“It is alleged by fellow inmates that the deceased was taken from the cell in which he was detained by the suspect. The suspect, a constable, allegedly assaulted the deceased. The suspect accused the deceased of breaking into his relatives’ houses.”
During the assault, other inmates allegedly heard the detainee “screaming and crying”.
“The suspect, further on, said to the deceased that he can die and he does not care, while the deceased was screaming and crying. Everything after the assault suddenly went quiet,” said Langa.
“The suspect was heard calling his colleague and asked him to call an ambulance. The suspect's colleague checked the deceased for any pulse or signs of life, but there was none. The deceased was declared dead on the scene.”
Langa added that Ipid has obtained statements from other inmates in the police cells. The police watchdog was awaiting a post-mortem of the deceased’s body.
IOL